Chapter 715

"So, it's a dog..."

When leaving Iron Cauldron Mountain City, You Ruo's complexion was a bit mysterious, a bit strange, a bit bluish, a bit translucent...

Seeing that, Wu Tie feared he might collapse somewhere along the way.

Alright, regardless of whether You Ruo was led onto the evil path by Old Bai's strange cuisine, the information he sent is important.

Wu Tie immediately summoned his civil and military officials to discuss You Ruo's information.

Huang Lang, Huang Yu, Li Ergouzi, Lan Changqing, Ximen You and other officials, these subordinates from minor aristocratic families, each looked at Wu Tie with bewildered faces. Within the scope of their knowledge and the information they could access, the past Green Hill, Great Wu, and Great Wei constituted the whole world.

Many of them had, in their lifetimes, only roamed the territory of a single prefecture or county.

Take the Huang Lang family, for example: they were once exiled and conscripted, sent from the fertile lands of the Great Jin to the remote borderlands of Great Marsh Prefecture, their conscription route spanning hundreds of prefectures—quite well-traveled.

Yet they had never heard that, beyond the northern borders of the Three Kingdoms, across the barbaric mountains and endless snowfields, human tribes still existed.

As for the Great Wei elders like Li Xuan'gui and Yuan Qilin, their expressions turned extraordinarily colorful.

Obviously, different statuses and origins lead to different grasps of information and knowledge.

These elders from the top aristocratic clans of Great Wei surely knew more knowledge… especially that group of elders from the Seven Scattered Persons Clan, each wearing an extremely subtle expression.

The Seven Scattered Persons Clan consists of the seven families: the Ji, Liu, Shi, Shan, Xiang, Nan Gong, and Si Kong families.

These Seven Scattered Persons Clan are closely allied, often intermarrying internally, and the seven families love miscellaneous studies; they are famed among Great Wei's top aristocratic clans for loving to meddle, and love to meddle pointlessly.

When the Great Wei Divine State earlier sounded the alarm, calling all clan elders to arms for the nation, it was several elders from these seven families who joined forces, expending countless manpower and resources to forge a seagoing vessel, preparing to seek the end of the sea and visit the legendary continent said to lie beyond.

But when the great war broke out, they were forced to return just after setting out to sea; later they took refuge with Wu Tie, and now they are laboring for him in government affairs, while the seafaring endeavor ended midway.

The eldest elder of the Si Kong family, Si Kong Yan, stepped forward from the ranks, bowed to Wu Tie, and said in a deep voice, 'My lord, the tribes on the snowy plain are recorded in the annals left by our ancestors.'

'Speak.' Wu Tie nodded at Si Kong Yan.

The northern snowy plain lies far from the territories of the Three Kingdoms; even flying straight at the speed of a Divine Realm cultivator, with no wind or waves to hinder, it still takes over a year to reach.

Along this way lie countless heavenly hazards and ferocious beasts, among which there are no shortage of eldritch beings whose strength rivals the Divine Realm; thus the journey is extremely perilous, and even ordinary Divine Realm cultivators of the first or second heavenly layer may perish midway.

Such a perilous journey—who knows how many years ago—was undertaken in earnest by a dozen or so elders of the Seven Scattered Persons Clan, who, having eaten their fill and with nothing to do, agreed to travel together northward, touring mountains and waters, surveying geographical records, simultaneously probing earth veins for minerals, and gathering all manner of heavenly and earthly treasures.

After wandering for a dozen or so years in the barbaric mountains to the north, they arrived at a vast expanse of snowy plain.

On that snowy plain dwell countless ferocious giants—white bears, white wolves, white oxen, white flood dragons, and so on—while beneath the ice lie surging rivers whose fury is a hundred times greater than that of the great rivers of the Three Kingdoms' territories.

A dozen or so elders of the Seven Scattered Persons Clan on the snowy plain discovered many strange flowers and herbs unknown in the Three Kingdoms' territories, treasures worthy of being called peerless rarities; thus they gathered them as they went, continuing northward.

Thus they encountered several small snowy-plain tribes.

According to the records left by the Si Kong ancestors, the inhabitants of those snowy-plain tribes are tall and sturdy, their bodies suffused with Cold Qi, innately possessing a Profound Ice physique, enabling them to control ice, flowing water, cold wind, and freezing air, to wield great divine abilities, and even to summon blizzards that sweep a thousand li.

Those descended from the Seven Scattered Persons Clan have the trait of being utterly improper, given to laughter and anger, always making outsiders unfamiliar with them feel they are deliberately provoking.

Yet the inhabitants of those snowy-plain tribes are extremely xenophobic and by nature ferocious, harboring a strong urge to attack outsiders.

Thus, a few words disagreement led to both sides coming to blows.

Initially, a dozen or so elders wiped out twenty or thirty large and small tribes, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of inhabitants and looting many strange treasures.

Greed is the greatest driving force; faced with those rare, precious treasures that the Three Kingdoms' lands produce nothing of, even the refined elegance and suave bearing of Great Wei's scholars amounted to nothing.

Thus, a dozen or so elders joined forces, sweeping tribe after tribe clean.

Then they hit an iron wall.

Nearly a hundred Divine Realm elders of the snowy-plain tribes rose up and attacked them, plus hundreds of ferocious beasts whose strength rivals that of Divine Realm body cultivators joined the fray. A dozen or so Great Wei elders were beaten to the brink of death, each in a sorry state fleeing southward.

The snowy-plain elders pursued them all the way; fortunately, the level of civilization among those snowy-plain tribes is far inferior to that of the Great Wu Divine State. The powerful snowy-plain elders possess only a few secret treasures, handed down from their ancestors, lacking the skill to forge mighty secret treasures.

As for the Great Wei elders, they never lack life-saving good things on their persons.

Relying on the Mo family's mobile military forts and battle puppets, the Ou family's divine weapons, the Yuan family's crafted battle disks and banners, and the Ma family's painted scrolls with various miraculous effects, a dozen or so Great Wei elders fled in utter disarray back to Great Wei, where they nursed their wounds for over ten thousand years before barely recovering.

During the period when those dozen or so elders were recuperating, many bored and eager-to-die elders of the Seven Scattered Persons Clan banded together, forming an exploration team that sneaked north to the snowy plain to stir up trouble and loot treasures.

The outcome was never good; indeed, on two occasions a Divine Realm elder perished outright on the northern snowy plain.

"Useless." Si Kong Yan spread his hands helplessly toward Wu Tie: 'My lord, the northern snowy plain indeed possesses many treasures absent from our Three Kingdoms' lands, but those treasures are not irreplaceable… Our seven clans have fiddled with it for over ten thousand years; in the final reckoning, the input far outweighed the output… Thus, no one wishes to bother with it anymore.'

Li Xuan'gui, Yuan Qilin and the other clan elders snorted coldly from the side.

Si Kong Yan glared at Li Xuan'gui: 'Old Turtle, what are you laughing at?'

Li Xuan'gui then chuckled: 'You seven clans have been fussing over this all those years? No wonder you all act sneaky, and your complexions worsen year after year—did you suffer a big loss over there? Tsk, we're still waiting to see what result you'll finally churn out…'

Si Kong Yan and the other elders of the Seven Scattered Persons Clan instantly flared with anger: 'Are you just watching the spectacle? Making fun of us?'

Yuan Qilin chuckled: 'Indeed… you never noticed that, over those years, when you bought those life-saving trinkets from our families, we tacked on extra charges? You didn't care anyway; we're happy to jack up the price and make a profit…'

Si Kong Yan and the others, fuming, pointed at Li Xuan'gui, Yuan Qilin, Mo Yun, Ou Yezi, Ma Liang and the like, unleashing a torrent of abuse.

A crowd chuckled 'hehe haha', and with just a few words they provoked Si Kong Yan and the others into a fury that made their hair stand on end.

Wu Tie coughed heavily, waved his hand: 'Enough, enough, settle down… You're all elders; officials, be steady, be steady…'

The hall fell silent at once.

Wu Tie lifted his teacup, took a sip, and pointed at Si Kong Yan, asking: 'So, what is the latest information you have on the northern snowy plain?'

Si Kong Yan spread his hands: 'It's data from nine thousand years ago… Indeed, we found no profit to be made, and it entailed enormous risk—especially since that northern snowy plain is dreadfully boring, not even a little girl who sings folk tunes can be found; the elders back then wandered about, utterly bored… So gradually, no one went there.'

Wu Tie sneered: 'Maybe it's just empty and lonely there, and you elders are bored stiff—that's why you can't be bothered to go? Tsk, you lot… you really have a knack for this…'

Lifting his head to gaze at the hall's ceiling, Wu Tie shook his head: 'Nine thousand years of data—nine thousand years, at eighteen years per generation that's five hundred generations past… Who knows how many people, soldiers, war beasts, and Divine Realm elders they have now?'

Silence prevailed in the hall; no one could answer Wu Tie's question.

After a long while, the Ji family elder Ji Wuliang chuckled lightly: 'My lord, why worry about these things? Anyway, if the snowy-plain tribes invade, they'll strike north first; our Wuguo lies in the south—it won't concern us for a while.'

Spreading his hands, Ji Wuliang wore a smug grin: 'Once the northern forces clash with them, won't it then be clear how many people, soldiers, and Divine Realm elders they have?'

Wu Tie stared, then pointed at Ji Wuliang: 'Your words and deeds truly live up to your name… Tsk, if His Majesty were to conscript our Wuguo army, what then?'

Ji Wuliang gave a dry laugh: 'Delay, delay if you can, if not, just open wide like a lion… grain, baggage, armaments, medicine, and so on… not from that brat Linghu Qingqing…'

Wu Tie cut off Ji Wuliang's words: 'Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must address him as Your Majesty; we are all his subjects.'

Ji Wuliang pursed his lips: 'That's also a brat Majesty… Tsk, my lord, no matter how that Majesty conscripts, if we aren't given sufficient benefits, why would we send troops? Even if we are given ample benefits, dragging him out for three to five years is easy… For instance, opening the demon's nest to let subterranean demons invade Wuguo's territory… we could drag a single battle out for thirty or fifty years, and that would be perfectly normal.'

Wu Tie's mouth corner twitched slightly.

He glanced at Ji Wuliang, then at Sikong Yan, and then at Li Xuangui, Yuan Qilin, and the others……

These guys, each with a smile and slowly nodding, obviously agreed with Ji Wuliang's words.

Wu Tie then understood why the former Wei Divine Kingdom had been so developed and so prosperous, yet had fought to a stalemate with the great Wu and Jin dynasties—it turned out the Wei court, from top to bottom, was full of loyal ministers and generals who were experts at dragging their feet!

"This matter, let's set it aside for now… When His Majesty issues an order, we'll discuss other things." Wu Tie pondered for a moment, looking at Sikong Yan and asked, "Over these years, have any remnants of the Snow Plains been left behind?"

Sikong Yan and the others stared blankly, but then the Shan clan's elder, Shan Sang, suddenly clapped and laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, my lord! Back then I personally entered the Snow Plains, even slew one of their elders, and seized their staff secret treasure."

Shan Sang reached out and grabbed at the void, and a staff over six feet long appeared in his hand—its head a white wolf head, the shaft straight and covered in fine ripples, the whole body gleaming white like snow and exuding a biting Cold Qi.

Wu Tie narrowed his eyes and examined this staff, as thick as a goose egg, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

He reached out and grabbed it; Shan Sang loosened his grip, and the staff flew into Wu Tie's hand.

Wu Tie opened the spiritual eye between his brows, threads of spiritual light spilling out as he carefully scanned the staff from head to toe, finally discovering that deep within the staff were engraved thirty-three Xuanming Wu talismans.

Exactly, it is undoubtedly the Wu family's secret transmission, a lineage of Wu family talismanic scriptures.

Moreover, they are the Xuanming lineage's Wu talismans.

The Xuanming lineage possesses veins of icy yin that pierce to the bone, commanding the utmost yin and profound yin power of heaven and earth; at low cultivation, this manifests externally as control over Xuanming ice, freezing qi, cold winds, frost, and the like. If cultivated to an extremely profound level, one can penetrate the Nine Netherworlds, grasp Netherworld Mystic Qi, wield boundless mighty power, and seal the three realms of heaven, earth, and humanity in ice.

When Netherworld Mystic Qi is cultivated to its peak, it can even freeze space, time, fate, and reincarnation—it is one of the supreme supreme Dao among heaven and earth.

However, the Xuanming Wu talismans within this staff are incomplete.

Moreover, Wu Tie also sensed from these Xuanming Wu talismans a faint fluctuation of "divine power."

It is not the divine power of the so-called deity realm, but the divine spiritual power that the foreign demons You Ruo and Wu Tou claim for themselves.

Wu Tie recalled the ancient tales that the Wu family's ancestors in the underground world had once told him.

The Wu tribe of the underground world, as a seed of inheritance, had been sent down to take refuge there long ago.

Given the Wu tribe's nature and the arrangements made back in antiquity, any Wu youths left on the surface must have all died in battle… If any still survive above ground, they can only be traitors, namely the remnant clan called "demons' lackeys."

Feeling the faint divine power fluctuation within the staff, Wu Tie chuckled: "Interesting, the material of this staff is actually the legendary Ice Dragon Marrow Crystal… Something that could never appear in our southern lands."

"What a pity, the refining technique is flawed… This Ice Dragon Marrow Crystal is innate; if refined properly, this staff should certainly be a state-protected divine artifact-level treasure… What a pity."

Wu Tie put the staff away, nodded to Shan Sang, and said: "This Prince knows a few formidable experts; I will send this staff to them for inspection—perhaps they can forge a fine weapon."

"As for those northern folks… tsk, we won't fight a battle without certainty; let a few of you accompany This Prince personally to have a look."

"This Prince also wants to see how they cross the Snow Plains and mountain ranges, and how they come to attack us."